North Jetty (Hikkaduwa) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, I’ve got to be straight with you—what we’re looking at over the next 16 days is a bit of a heartbreaker. There’s a lot of swell on the cards for North Jetty (Hikkaduwa) in Sri Lanka, but the wind and conditions are just not cooperating. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of the run. The first real opportunity doesn’t even pop up until the start of the window.

The overall pattern shows consistent, moderate to strong wave energy—often in the four-digit range, like the 2140 on Saturday morning—from the SW, which is exactly the optimum direction for this exposed point break. But the issue is the onshore and cross-onshore winds that just won’t quit. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Let’s start with Saturday the 12th of September. We’ve got some solid groundswell rolling in—6 ft from the SW with a long 18-second period. The combined energy is a meaty 2140, so there’s plenty of push. But the wind is a gentle onshore breeze from the WSW at 9 mph, and the report flags it as marginal. That’s a shame because the swell is legitimate. It’s not a total write-off for an experienced surfer who knows the break, but don’t expect clean, lined-up waves.

Sunday the 13th is a step down. Swell drops to 5 ft from the SW, same long 16-second period, but now the wind is cross-onshore from the WNW at 9 mph. Wave energy is still strong at 1402, but it’s choppy and messy. The afternoon only gets worse with a 12 mph cross-onshore breeze.

From Monday the 14th right through to Friday the 18th, it’s a grim run. Swell sizes bounce around between 2 ft and 8 ft, but every single session is marked as poor or marginal. The wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, often fresh breezes up to 22 mph. Even when the energy is high—like 1587 on Wednesday afternoon with a 3 ft, 18-second swell—the wind just ruins it. Surfing is not on the cards here.

Saturday the 19th sees a bit more size—5 ft to 6 ft from the SSW—but again onshore WSW winds at 16 mph. The energy is strong at 1507, but the quality isn’t there.

Sunday the 20th is the one date I’d flag as the best on offer, and I say that with a heavy heart. The morning shows 5 ft from the SSW, a 15-second period, and onshore winds at 12 mph. Wave energy sits at 1250. The report calls it “marginal,” which is better than poor. If you’re desperate, you could see some long-period lines wrapping around the point, but it won’t be pretty. The wind’s not offshore, so don’t expect perfection.

After that, from Monday the 21st through to Sunday the 27th, it’s back to mostly poor conditions. Swell sizes climb to 8 ft on the 23rd, but that’s with a short 8-second period and fresh cross-onshore winds—too big and blown out for anyone but experts, and even then it’s a mess. The energy values drop off towards the end, hitting as low as 475, which reflects weaker, shorter-period swell.

Honestly mate, there’s no standout session in this whole run. The best I can give you is Sunday the 20th morning, and even then it’s a gamble. Hold tight—forecasts can change, and it tends not to stay this poor for long. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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